Heathrow Protesters Breach Security
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 02.25.08
From mock billboards to the Camp for Climate Action, Heathrow Airport has been the scene of a number of climate-related protests. As far as we know, however, today may be the first time that campaigners have gone as far as breaching airport security and climbing on top of an airplane to voice their anger at expansion plans. According to the BBC, four protestors were arrested this morning unfurling a banner on top of an Airbus A320:
“…two women and two men crossed the tarmac at the airport after the passengers had disembarked. One protester, Anna Jones, said: "Our planet and the people who live on it are in danger. Climate change can be beaten but not by almost doubling the size of the airport. We are here to draw a line in the sand and tell Gordon Brown his new runway must not and will not be built.”
Interesting times at Heathrow. We're pretty sure this move will generate a predictably split response in the environmental community - from those who see this as a necessary escalation of tactics in the fight against climate change, to others who fear it will play into the hands of those who see greenies as dangerous radicals. Whether Greenpeace's tactics were justified or not, this is a worrying indication of how easy it is to get past airport security. Here’s Greenpeace’s version of events.
::BBC::via site visit::
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What a bunch of nut jobs. Would they rather them build a second airport and have it take up even more land because it would be the "double the size" but also have to include a whole another parking lot. That would make more land be taken up by the airport. if they are expanding the obviously need the room. Unless you think it is some government conspiracy to pave over grass... and if you think that then you just need to be locked up.
-=tbn=-
What's really scary is that these protesters weren't detected until they put up banners! What does that say about airport security? My hours spent in security lines suddenly feel even more wasted than they did before.
Todd they're not suggesting they build another airport elsewhere. They're suggesting that aviation should not be expanding as it is and that capacity should not be added at all because it's completely incompatible with the government's stated aims on climate change.
The aircraft they were protesting on is a London-Manchester flight. That's a distance of 200 miles, served by a fast rail route.
The idiots.
Any debris or grit from the tarmac that was on their shoes could of damaged the roof of the plane and could go unnoticed. On top of that they had their arms all over the tail. grrr